Mike Tyson Open To Boxing Match Against Jake Paul; States It Has To “Happen This Year”

Mike Tyson

Boxing legend Mike Tyson has revealed he is not against a boxing match with Jake Paul, but has noted that it must happen before the year is out.

In 2020, Tyson made a surprise return to boxing after years away from the sport. He took on fellow icon of the sport, Roy Jones Jr, in an exhibition bout. In the same year, Jake Paul made the switch to pro boxing. He has since gone 5-0, although is notably yet to pick up a win over an experienced boxer, having primarily faced athletes from outside ‘the sweet science.’

It could be that Mike Tyson will be the first legitimate boxer Jake Paul faces, as the former champion recently spoke with Jimmy Kimmel about a potential matchup against ‘The Problem Child.’

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“That could be very interesting,” stated Tyson when asked about facing Paul. “I never really took it serious, but yeah it could be really interesting.”

“Everything is possible, yeah,” he said. “But it gotta happen this year. It gotta happen this year.”

Mike Tyson Acknowledges The Skills Of Jake Paul

Despite Jake Paul’s lack of high level opposition so far in his boxing career, Mike Tyson still respects the skills that ‘The Problem Child’ has shown so far. He stated that:

“He’s skilled enough, yes. I’m gonna give it to him. He’s skilled enough because he’s winning. Even if he’s fighting guys that you guys don’t believe is a good enough fighter, they should be able to beat him, but they can’t. He’s beating people that he shouldn’t really be beating. We got to give him that credit.”

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“And he’s doing so much good for boxing. Listen, this guy got 70 million people following him every time he fights. Champions of the world don’t have that many people following them. So what he’s doing for boxing is just sensational. No one should be hating on that, he’s helping everyone get money. Why are people mad at him?” (H/T Bloody Elbow).

Would you like to see Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul?